Extraction devices, such as the French Press type coffee maker, have been in use for many years. Generally, they involve placing an infusible material (such as ground coffee beans or tea leaves) in a container filled with hot water and, after allowing the mixture to steep for a sufficient time period, the infusible material is pushed downward into the container using a plunger with strainer to separate the infusible material from the extract. The infusible material is trapped between the strainer and the bottom of the container, and the extract is poured out. Such devices and methods are not limited to use with coffee or tea. Some medical devices, for example, operate with a similar manner and technique.
The basic problems associated with prior art devices and methods is that they do not allow for easy cleanup of the infusible material once the extraction has taken place and/or they require that the extract be poured out of the container before the infusible material can be easily removed. For example, with a typical prior art French Press type coffee maker, the user must remove the plunger and strainer and then wash the spent grounds out of the container. This can be a messy process, particularly if there is not a handy water source. And, it can difficult to remove coffee grounds using water without have a significant portion wash down a drain or otherwise get all over the sink. If a user decides to leave the coffee grounds in the container, then she must remove the extract immediately or otherwise the extract will become bitter as some portion of the extract remains in contact with the coffee grounds until either the grounds or the extract is completely removed.
What is needed is a French Press type apparatus that allows for separation of the infusible material from the extract, easy cleanup and the ability to remove the infusible material without having to remove the extract.